Wednesday, June 03, 2009

2nd Edition Panzer-Grenadier remains firmly based on the original fire and movement mechanisms however there are differences in several areas, especially command and control.New Command & Control!Completely new command and control rules permit players to attempt wider activation of units and Combat Groups within their Battlegroups, now influenced directly by the presence of command units, national ability and "command pressure" from the Battlegroup HQ.

The 1st Edition's sole reliance on Command Points for Combat Group activation has been replaced with an Activation Table which now relies on Command Units to activate Combat Groups and to allow for HQ Command Points to assist with these activation attempts. Those units without command may now only be activated as individual units (with the required assistance of a Command Point if they are not specialist troops), thereby placing a heavier emphasis upon the importance of command and the chain of command within the rules.Thus the more flexible and well lead German army will have the ability to activate a good number of Combat Groups, while the less effective armies, such as the Russians, will find it harder to activate multiple Combat Groups. These armies will need to rely more heavily on activating the fewer Senior Command Units to move large numbers of troops, in order to achieve their aims.

Command Decisions! Players should not expect all their units to be activated each turn and are still forced to make command decisions as to where to concentrate command effort. Thus unrealistic situations where every single unit on the wargames table is permitted to move and fire without restriction are still avoided within the 2nd Edition.

Uncertainty is also introduced within the game turn, as any double one activation attempt automatically generates a Command Confusion result which provides the opponent with an opportunity to seize the initiative and immediately end the current players phase.

New Rules for Artillery; Machine Guns & AT Guns! Greater emphasis has also been placed on the historical differences between armies, for instance the revised artillery rules reflect each major nation's artillery doctrine and unique usage, while new rules covering MG area fire have also been included. Other new aspects include an intensive fire option for anti-guns and self-propelled guns, this increased fire rate now gives greater consideration to the threat such weapons posed to tanks on the battlefield. This greater emphasis on weapon and national differences will require commanders to play to the strengths of their particular Battlegroup, accepting that while they may be weak in one area they can take advantages of their strengths in other areas.

Japanese! Finally new rules and equipment lists have been introduced for the Japanese, enabling players to expand into the Asian and Pacific theatres.

Players will find the 2nd Edition more comprehensive but it nonetheless maintains a fluid game mechanism that still provides for a good range of "realistic" outcomes. The emphasis of Battlegroup Panzer-Grenadier is still firmly based on playability, after all wargamers usually prefer to see their miniatures on the table top and actually have something to shoot at during the course of a game!

The basic game tactical unit is the infantry section or squad supported by armoured fighting vehicles, artillery and ground attack aircraft. The rules are written for use with 15mm or 20mm figures, though work perfectly well for smaller scales.